Despite hopes from series scribe Andrew Davies that it would go to a second season, it’s one and done for Sanditon. ITV has cancelled the adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel after a single season, TVWise has confirmed. The cancellation comes mere weeks before the series is set to premiere state-side on PBS.
“We loved Sanditon and we were very proud to have it on ITV”, a representative of ITV told TVWise. “We would have loved it to return, but unfortunately we just didn’t get the audience that would make that possible for us, which is heartbreaking for everybody involved in this wonderful adaptation.”
Sanditon tells the story of the joyously impulsive, spirited and unconventional Charlotte Heywood and her spiky relationship with the humorous, charming Sidney Parker. When a chance accident transports her from her rural hometown of Willingden to the would-be coastal resort of the eponymous title, it exposes Charlotte to the intrigues and dalliances of a seaside town on the make, and the characters whose fortunes depend on its commercial success. The twists and turns of the plot, which takes viewers from the West Indies to the rotting alleys of London, exposes the hidden agendas of each character and sees Charlotte discover herself and ultimately find love.
The drama series, which is based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel that was written only months before her death in 1817, is produced by Red Planet Pictures and stars Rose Williams, Theo James, Anne Reid, Kris Marshall, Kate Ashfield, Jack Fox, Charlotte Spencer, Lily Sacofsky, Crystal Clarke, Elizabeth Berrington, Adrian Rawlins, Turlough Convery, Mark Stanley, Matthew Needham, Alexandra Roach, Leo Suter, Kevin Eldon and Adrian Scarborough. It was adapted for television by Andrew Davies, with PBS’ Masterpiece co-producing for the US market. Olly Blackburn, Lisa Clarke and Charles Sturridge are the directors. The executive producers are Andrew Davies, Belinda Campbell and Rebecca Eaton.
